Werewolf Suspense (Book 2): Outage 2 (The Awakening) by T.W. Piperbrook Read Free Book Online

that purpose.
    Tom set his tire iron on top of the machine, then unlocked the wheels and rolled the machine in place. When the door was secure, they paused to catch their breath. Mark wiped his face with his sleeve.  
    "Thanks for letting us in," Ashley said, breaking the silence.
    Mark nodded. He eyed each of them in the pale glow of the flashlight. His eyes were ringed and bloodshot; it looked like he hadn't slept in days.
    "What's going on out there?" Tom asked.
    Mark cleared his throat. "Damned if I know," he said.
    He avoided their eyes as he walked toward an open window across the room. The room was square, about fifty feet wide and long. Tom, Billy, and Ashley followed him, dodging tables and machinery that adorned the floor space. A row of large windows lined the opposite wall, allowing moonlight to seep into the room's edges. The windowsills were only a few feet off the ground. Before Tom could get acquainted, Mark switched off the flashlight.
    "We need to call the police," Tom said.
    "Can't. Phone lines are dead," Mark said. "I tried."
    "Do you have a cell phone?"
    "A prepaid. I left it at home. I don't use it much, anyway. I mostly use the landline." Mark reached out, swung the window inwards, and latched it closed. Tom assumed it was where he'd fired at the beast.
    "What do you think we should do?" Tom asked.
    "Stay here and wait out the storm. Even if we got a hold of someone, no one would know what to do with these things."
    "What are they?" Tom asked.
    Mark hunkered by the window, but didn't answer. Did he know more than he let on?
    Tom walked across the room, keeping his voice low. "I saw people changing into them," he said. "A man and a woman, they transformed . These things are human underneath."
    "I know that already. Look." Mark crouched next to one of the windows and pointed. Tom hunkered beside him and followed his hand. Across the parking lot, Tom saw his crumpled SUV wrapped around the telephone pole, the headlights blazing. Next to it was the barely-clothed body of a human. It took him a second to realize it was the creature who'd attacked him earlier.
    "You killed it."
    "That wasn't the first one, either." Mark adjusted his rifle.
    "I don't understand. I shot one of them an hour ago. I put six goddamn bullets in the thing, and it barely wounded it. In fact, I'm pretty sure it even—"
    "Healed?" Mark asked, his eyes wide and manic.  
    "Yes. How'd you know that?"
    "Because that's what happened when I shot one for the first time."
    "What do you mean?"
    "I didn't use the ammunition my brother gave me, and the thing got back up and attacked me. But I've wizened up since then."
    "I don't understand."
    "I should've listened to my brother. I should've listened to Colton." Mark reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a handful of bullets. He held them next to the window, allowing the glare to capture the silver surface. "If I'd used these the first time, I wouldn't have had a problem. I won't make that mistake again."
    Tom felt an inkling of something he'd known before. Something he should've known. And yet he'd refused to believe it. Couldn't believe it. Things like this shouldn't be happening in the real world, not outside the realm of fantasy and television. For the second time that night, he entertained the idea that he was dreaming, that the entire night had been an elaborate hoax. But the chill in his bones and the cold fear in his stomach told him it was real. And so did the body outside, lying in the snow.
    Mark replaced the ammunition in his pocket and stared out the window, his rifle tucked rigidly under his arm.  
    "Where's your brother now?" Tom asked.  
    "He's dead," Mark answered.
    Tom's fear was replaced with pity. Up until now, Mark had seemed hard, calloused. Uncaring. But now he understood why. He recalled Lorena's gutted body in the forest, his guilt at leaving her behind. He lowered his eyes. "Did they get to him?"
    "No. I did." Mark stared over at him, his eyes lit by the